Allen Parker 19th-20th century

Curator: This is Denman Waldo Ross's "Allen Parker," a pencil drawing measuring about 21 by 28 centimeters. Editor: It feels like a fleeting thought, doesn't it? As if Parker's portrait and that starburst arrived on the page in a moment of quiet contemplation. Curator: Indeed. Ross employs hatching and cross-hatching to define form, juxtaposing the organic lines of the figure with the geometric rigidity of the star. Note the strategic use of negative space, creating a visual tension. Editor: I wonder if Parker was dreaming of constellations. There's such serenity in his closed eyes. That star feels almost symbolic, like a guiding light he’s carrying within himself. Curator: Perhaps. What remains compelling is Ross's manipulation of line and shadow. The drawing presents a study in contrasts, light against dark, form against void. Editor: It's a beautiful reminder that art can capture both the tangible and the ethereal. Curator: Precisely. A concise exercise in seeing and being.